Wisconsin child support calculator (2026 guidelines)

Wisconsin child support at a glance

How Wisconsin calculates child support

Wisconsin sets child support as a percentage of the paying parent’s gross monthly income: 17% for one child, 25% for two, 29% for three, 31% for four and 34% for five or more. The other parent’s income doesn’t change the amount unless the parents share placement.

Income is gross income from all sources, taxable or not, divided by twelve for a monthly figure. Public assistance, Supplemental Security Income, food stamps and child support received are left out. Taxes aren’t deducted.

When each parent has the children at least 92 overnights a year, Wisconsin’s shared-placement formula applies: each parent’s income times the percentage, times 150%, times the share of time the children spend with the other parent. The two amounts are offset, and the paying parent never pays more than the plain percentage of their own income.

For a paying parent whose monthly income is up to $2,031, a court may use the lower percentages in the low-income table (DCF Appendix C) if the parent’s circumstances limit their ability to pay. The table starts at $998; below that the court decides the amount. This estimate applies the table only when you tick the low-income box.

Child care and health insurance aren’t added to the percentage amount. The court assigns health insurance and uninsured medical costs separately, and with shared placement it splits costs such as child care and tuition by each parent’s share of placement.

If the paying parent already supports children from an earlier family, Wisconsin’s serial-family rule subtracts the existing support order, then the percentage for any children in the parent’s current household, before the percentage for this order is applied.

For income above $7,000 a month, a court may apply lower percentages: 14% for one child on income up to $12,500, and 10% on income above that. This estimate applies them unless you untick the high-income box.

Each figure is carried in full and the final monthly amount is rounded to the cent.

Parenting time in Wisconsin

When each parent has the children at least 92 overnights a year, Wisconsin’s shared-placement formula applies: each parent’s income times the percentage, times 150%, times the share of time the children spend with the other parent. The two amounts are offset, and the paying parent never pays more than the plain percentage of their own income.

Low and high incomes in Wisconsin

For 2 children with Parent B earning $40,000, the guideline amount is about $417 a month when Parent A earns $20,000 a year and about $4,100 a month when Parent A earns $250,000.

For a paying parent whose monthly income is up to $2,031, a court may use the lower percentages in the low-income table (DCF Appendix C) if the parent’s circumstances limit their ability to pay. The table starts at $998; below that the court decides the amount. This estimate applies the table only when you tick the low-income box.

For income above $7,000 a month, a court may apply lower percentages: 14% for one child on income up to $12,500, and 10% on income above that. This estimate applies them unless you untick the high-income box.

Child support by number of children in Wisconsin

• 1 child$850 a month
• 2 children$1,250 a month
• 3 children$1,450 a month
• 4 children$1,550 a month
• 5 children$1,700 a month

Parent A earns $60,000, Parent B $40,000; the children live mostly with Parent B.

Frequently asked questions